My Life So Far

Flirting with Death

I am defined by moments.

Okay, so I've never had a near-death experience. Or not a real one.
But people all around me have, and I can safely say that I would never like to have one. My grandmother has been knocking on death's door more than any person I know, and it's incredible the boundaries she's overcome to stay alive and enjoy life as much as humanly possible.

I've seen people die, too. Which isn't really fun. It must be hard to see someone you know and love die. It's kind of confusing to see a random stranger drown. It makes you wonder where the line is between living and dying is, and makes me wonder when we really start dying- when we let ourselves die, I think?

I suppose that I am defined by moments. Some- if not most- are defined by those difficult moments of seeing someone die or finding out your sibling has a life-changing disability. Others are the happy moments like holding a baby cousin for the first time when she's less than 24 hours old. But I can't say that it was one moment over another that made me who I am. It's an accumulation of all these times that make me the person I am today.

My life so far has been marked by love, unconditional love, from all sorts of places. Love and support that gets me through the day and keeps me out of danger and harms way (like I said, no near-death experiences yet!).

So...my life so far has been good. Even if it has been spotted by those moments where I think I won't know how to take the next step, because there is always someone to help me; someone who has been in worse danger who knows what really counts. These are the people that teach me and live with me and shape me through those moments we spend together.